A patent is personal property and may be used to secure a loan; it may be bequeathed by a will; and it may pass to the heirs of a deceased patentee.
Patent law provides for the transfer or sale of a patent, or of an application for patent in writing. The document is an assignment and may transfer some or the entire interest in the patent. When the patent is assigned, the assignee (the person who is receiving the ownership interest) becomes the owner of the patent and has the same rights that the original patentee had.